A baseball bat is a rather simple device. It’s just a stick that tapers down to a handle so you can hold onto it while swinging it at stuff. The same description could be applied to an axe handle, but they’re not shaped exactly alike. Shouldn’t one of them be better for swinging at stuff than the other? It turns out the answer is probably yes–putting an axe handle on a bat actually makes it safer and more effective.

The physical difference between an axe handle and a bat is clear even from a glance. A bat is radially symmetrical, but an axe handle is flat on one edge (the back) and angled a bit on the front. The butt also sits at an angle, so it’s not completely perpendicular to the length of the bat. This shape forces the hitter’s bottom hand to hold the Axe Bat away from the palm and more in the fingers, which makes for a more stable grip with less tension in the hand.

According to a study conducted by UCLA engineers, players might see fewer injuries from the Axe Bat as well. The flat backside of the axe handle fits much more nicely in the hand than the nub on the end of a traditional bat. It’s not uncommon to develop a bruise on the palm from the end of a regular bat, and some major leaguers have even ended up on the disabled list from fractures of the hamate bone in the hand caused by bats. That shouldn’t happen with the Axe Bat.

So it’s comfortable and it won’t cause as many injuries, but how does the Axe Bat make you into the next Babe Ruth with physics? The asymmetrical handle can’t rotate in the hitter’s hand like a regular bat, which means more accuracy and power with each hit. Basically, you’re not expending energy to spin the handle because it just points in the right direction naturally. The most recent version of the Axe Bat (the Avenge L140B) has a specially designed “hitting side” that flexes like a spring when it strikes the ball.

The Axe Bat is produced by Baden Sports in the US, and has gotten some attention from youth and college leagues. A few major leaguers have experimented with the design in its wooden incarnation as well. Sales of the Axe Bat have tripled since the full lineup was released in 2012, but it still has a steep hill to climb before it can challenge the classic Louisville Slugger.